MUST SEE Video: Standing O for Reverend's "No WMD" Speech

(big hat tip to My Left Wing and Crooks and Liars)
Click here for the video

Speaking before four presidents, including President George W. Bush, Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery received a standing ovation today at the Coretta Scott King funeral. Watch the UPDATED video, from C&L:

"We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew and we know that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor."

Look, maybe I'm crazy and maybe it's wishful thinking... But the sight of all those people standing up to applaud words so OBVIOUSLY aimed at the Pretender in Chief... Man, I've got chills.

And to the inevitable right wing complaints about "politicising" this:

It is about time people stop trying to pretend that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King were APOLITICAL people. They LIVED the political life.

This is the BEST tribute he could have given them both.

Amen to that.

LAMONT GETS HIS 1,000 SIGNUPS

Game on!

As of 9:26 this morning, we received our 1,000th signup from Connecticut, and by the end of the day, I expect we will break our 4,000th signup from around the country.

We now have volunteers in 168 towns and cities around the state. I haven't done a close check to see how this matches to the offical list of 169 municipalities, but for all essential purposes, we have every town represented.

As well as receiving their 1,000th sign up, the Lamont team has also made upgrades to the campaign website and will make further upgrades over the next few weeks.

Looks like the campaign is a ready to go; I think it's a good time to start sweating Joe (look at me, I made a rhyme).

I can't tell the difference

Click here and see if you can tell the difference..

Lisa in a good mood

Cleared

Gov. M. Jodi Rell's chief of staff did not violate criminal laws when she handed out invitations to a campaign fundraiser for the governor, Connecticut's top prosecutor said Monday, ending a two-month investigation.

Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano said criminal prosecution of Lisa Moody is not warranted.

He said no criminal statutes bar the governor's chief of staff or her commissioners from campaigning on state property and said the use of state time was too minimal to warrant a larceny charge. Such a charge would have required an intent to defraud the state.

"There's insufficient evidence that any of these individuals intended to defraud the state," Morano said.

He said a team of lawyers reviewed the laws before issuing that conclusion.

Lamont creating campaign team

I received word of Tom Swan taking a leave of absence from the Connecticut Citizen Action Group in order to work for Ned Lamont earlier today and now the story is hitting the press.

From the Hartford Courant

Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont has hired the beginnings of a campaign staff and is about to create a candidate committee as he moves closer to challenging U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman for the Democratic nomination.

Effective today, the Connecticut Citizen Action Group has granted its executive director, Tom Swan, a leave so he can work full-time on what is still being called Lamont's exploratory campaign for U.S. Senate.

[...]

CCAG's political director, John Murphy, also will join the campaign.

"We are taking this leave because we believe that Ned Lamont's potential candidacy for United States Senate presents a historical opportunity to challenge the status quo in Washington DC and to help turn Connecticut's congressional delegation truly blue in 2006. This is a race that can be won!!!" Swan said in an e-mail.

In an interview, Swan said Lamont is ready to create a candidate committee, a step that will allow him to raise and expend money to further his candidacy. The committee papers could be filed this afternoon, Swan said.

This is an important first step for Lamont and hopefully things are getting in gear to challenge Lieberman because time is of the essence. You can read Swan's leave of absence letter by clicking here.

Lamont campaign gaining media attention

As the Ned Lamont's campaign continues to attract media attention and closes on their 1,000 person sign-up mark, the Greenwich Times published an interesting feature story on the Democratic challenger who had some choice words for Joe Lieberman.

From the Greenwich Times

On the wall of an office in Republican Greenwich hangs a sign: Ned Lamont for U.S. Senate.

It might as well be a collector's item because it's the only one.

But it's a start, says Lamont, a local businessman and former town selectman who fueled the Internet blogosphere last month when he revealed that he was considering a challenge of Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Lamont is no Republican, however. That's a label he says is more fitting for his would-be opponent.

"Joe is clearly the most popular Democrat for all Republicans," said Lamont, who called the entrenched incumbent out of touch with state Democrats such as himself.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll supports that theory, with 75 percent of Republicans surveyed saying they would support Lieberman for re-election this year, compared to 59 percent of Democrats.

Lamont is trying to seize on those figures, as well as antiwar sentiment among Democrats, to go from relative obscurity to credible challenger in what some observers regard as an uneven contest that could also feature a challenge from former Gov. Lowell Weicker Jr.

At the least, Lamont said it will be an opportunity for Democrats to debate and for Lieberman to explain his strident support of an unpopular war that has eroded civil liberties, as well as his stance on other issues such as judicial nominations.

[...]

A lifelong Democrat with a similar academic pedigree as President Bush -- Lamont holds an MBA from Yale University, a bachelor's degree in sociology and history from Harvard University and a diploma from Phillips Exeter Academy -- the presumptive candidate said he was inspired to run because of Lieberman's admonishment of those against the war.

"The senator sort of said those that critique the president are sort of undermining the war effort," Lamont said. "It was at that point that got me off the couch."

Lamont also knocked the incumbent for his recent vote to cut off debate on the nomination of Associate Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, which effectively squashed Democratic attempts to block the nomination. Alito was approved along party lines in the Senate, with Lieberman voting against the reputed conservative.

"To me, Sam Alito is not a close call," Lamont said.

The article is good and I encourage everyone to
read the article in full at the Greenwich Times website. This follwoing quote in the article caught my eye as it sums up the opinion most Connecticut Democrats have of Lieberman and why the Ned Lamont's campaign is important.

Mary Sullivan, a former Democratic National Committee member from Riverside, said she would also back Lamont in a primary.

"I think it's always a long-shot, but on the other hand, I think there must be a lot of disillusionment with Joe Lieberman among many Democrats, and I think they would welcome a chance to debate the whole record of Lieberman," Sullivan said.

Gas refund (don't hold your breath)

Connecticut lawmakers scream "foul" over oil companies recent record-profits reports.

From The Connecticut Post

Connecticut lawmakers have renewed their call for big oil to pump some of their record profits back into taxpayers' pockets.

Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, said last week that consumers deserve a break from high gasoline and home heating oil prices — especially since oil companies are ringing up record profits.

Exxon Mobil Corp. announced last week that it earned $36.13 billion in profit in 2005 — the largest single-year profit for a U.S. company in history.

"Consumers have all the pain and the big oil companies have all the gain, and that's simply not fair," said Dodd, a Democrat. "Congress can and should move to correct that, and this news just may be the spark that makes it happen."

The American Petroleum Institute opposes the windfall-profit tax, saying it would drain revenues from the industry that could otherwise be used to invest in new oil and gas production.

[...]

"It is bad enough that consumers, families and businesses have been struggling for a year with high energy costs, but to see major oil companies enjoy excessive profits during this crisis is wrong," DeLauro said. "This is a time for our nation to come together. Responsible corporate citizenship during this time of national emergency is the least this thriving industry can do."

Keith Olbermann brings his A-game to O'Reilly

Keith Olbermann's nightly news show Countdown is simply the best cable television has to offer nowadays (yes, it's better than the Daily Show).

Watching him put his witty spin on the day's headlines makes me feel like I'm back in college watching him and Dan Patrick on ESPN's Sportscenter all morning long (while eating the cold pizza from the night before).

His recent attacks on Bill O'Reilly are simply hillarious. Take a look at this video clip and you'll see what I mean. His reading of O'Reilly's quotes in the voice of Ted Baxter is priceless.

Bush-Abramoff photos revealed

Click here and see them all for yourself.

$100,000 per minute

All for what?

The White House said Thursday that it plans to ask Congress for an additional $70 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, driving the cost of military operations in the two countries to $120 billion this year, the highest ever.

Most of the new money would pay for the war in Iraq, which has cost an estimated $250 billion since the U.S. invasion in March 2003.

The additional spending, along with other war funding the Bush administration will seek separately in its regular budget next week, would push the price tag for combat and nation-building since Sept. 11, 2001, to nearly a half-trillion dollars, approaching the inflation-adjusted cost of the 13-year Vietnam War.

The cost of military operations in 2006 is $35 billion higher than what Congress had estimated a few months ago that the Defense Department would need this year. The higher costs are occurring even as the Pentagon is planning to reduce troop levels in Iraq in coming months, reflecting the continuing wear and damage to military equipment in desert combat, the need to upgrade protection for U.S. troops and the effort to train and equip Iraqi forces.

No large-scale reconstruction projects are included in the spending, officials said.

Currently, the Defense Department says it is spending about $4.5 billion a month on the conflict in Iraq, or about $100,000 per minute.

Current spending in Afghanistan is about $800 million a month, or about $18,000 per minute.

No Bin Laden, no WMDs, and we're just as vulnerable now than before 9-11.

First Manchester, now Windsor's DTC gives a thumbs down to Lieberman

(Big hat tip to Brandford Boy over at My Left Nutmeg for the scoop).

Resolved
That the Windsor, Connecticut Democratic Town Committee votes no confidence in Senator Joseph Lieberman's positions for embracing President Bush's position on the Iraq war, including denial that we wrongfully entered the war; denial that the war is being conducted unsuccessfully and the absence of any reasonably detailed standards for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

The resolution passed with 34 aye votes, two nays, and one abstention.

Not a good day for Joe.

UPDATE:The Hartford Courant reported on Windsor's vote in today's issue:

Windsor Democrats on Thursday followed their colleagues in Manchester by publicly chastising U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman for his support of President Bush and the Iraq war.

The Windsor Democratic Town Committee, in a 34-2 decision, approved a resolution calling for a vote of no confidence in Lieberman, D-Conn., for embracing Bush's position on the war, including denying that the United States wrongly entered the war and that it was not accomplishing the objectives set out by the president.

[...]

Windsor town committee member Len Swade referred to Lieberman as Bush's "kissing cousin" as he outlined his reasons for introducing the resolution.

"My goal is to seek a pattern - a groundswell - of Democratic town committee motions in Connecticut that will really get the senator's attention," Swade said Thursday.

Town committee member Leo Canty spoke in favor of the resolution and added that it was not meant to be a swipe at the military in Iraq.

"I'm proud of what the soldiers have done, but I'm not proud of what we have done," he said.

Before the meeting, Windsor Democratic town Chairman Tim Fitzgerald called the proposed resolution a "practical way to get [Lieberman's] attention."

"But I'm not delusional that this is going to change his fundamental way of thinking," Fitzgerald said.

It remains to be seen if quote of no confidence will get Lieberman's attention. I wonder how many more town committees in the state will follow Manchester and Windsor's lead.

While reading the article, I almost spilled food on myself again after reading the following quote from Lieberman's office.

Fitzgerald also spoke to the group before it voted about whether to table the resolution and give Lieberman a chance to defend his position. Lieberman's staff also sent the committee information about his accomplishments, from his support for women's rights to fighting to save the Arctic preserve.

Women's rights? One word: Alito.

More trouble for Lieberman

The perfect political storm is gaining strength which doesn't look good for Joe Lieberman.

As I stated in numerous posts, it's one thing for Lieberman to have the anti-war crowd rallying against you but upsetting the pro-life crowd a whole other can of worms. A real test to Lieberman's disapproval to Samuel Alito happened when he had a chance to decide on supporting a filibuster and like I predicted, he didn't support it.

You can read the writing on the wall. Lieberman was never going to really vote against Alito. It was so easy for Lieberman to vote against Alito when his vote didn't make a difference but when it came time to really put a stop to his nomination, Lieberman showed his true colors.

His decision might come back to haunt him.

Connecticut National Organization for Women
135 Broad Street
Hartford, CT 06105
860.524.5978
860.524.1092 fax
www.ct-now.org
Email: ct_now@yahoo.com

Kathleen Sloan, Executive Director
Rosemary Dempsey, President

For Immediate Release February 1, 2006
Contact Kathleen Sloan, 860-524-5978

LIEBERMAN HAS TURNED HIS BACK ON WOMEN

Senator Lieberman turned his back on this country’s women by refusing to support a filibuster against the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Judge Alito was confirmed yesterday by a vote of 58-42. While Connecticut NOW recognizes the 42 senators who voted against confirmation, the crucial vote happened the day before, when senators voted on whether or not to end debate on this nomination. Since the Republican leadership had enough votes to confirm Alito, a filibuster was the only way to prevent his confirmation.

Connecticut NOW applauds Senator Dodd for his support of the filibuster. Shamefully his colleague, Senator Lieberman, demonstrated a lack of respect and concern for the women and girls of Connecticut and the nation by his refusal to support the filibuster. Senator Lieberman pointed out that he had studied Samuel Alito’s record carefully and so he was aware of the threat Alito poses to a woman’s most basic constitutional right: to control her own body and decide whether or not to bear a child. As reported by The Hartford Courant, Senator Lieberman stated that he did not support a filibuster because Alito’s confirmation vote did not meet the standard of “extraordinary circumstances” decreed by the Senate “Gang of 14.” “This is a slap in the face to every woman of this state, no matter her political beliefs, economic status or race,” stated Rosemary Dempsey, President of CT NOW. “What could be a more ‘extraordinary circumstance’ than when a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health decisions is seriously threatened?”

The women of Connecticut expected that our senators, who call themselves pro-choice and claim to be supporters of women’s rights, would use every measure available to prevent the confirmation of a judge who undermines and disregards them. Laudably, Senator Dodd did just that; regrettably, Senator Lieberman did not. Senator Lieberman’s vote to shut down debate had the effect of anointing Judge Alito as a Supreme Court Justice. As Kathleen Sloan, Executive Director of CT NOW explained, Senator Lieberman’s vote against Alito on Tuesday was “symbolism without substance”. His failure to support women’s rights at a time when they are most severely threatened by a Supreme Court Justice whose record is replete with contempt for same, makes it highly unlikely that CT NOW will support Lieberman in his bid for re-election.

Cuff 'em and take Newton away

See ya later Moses! Can't say that it's been a pleasure knowing you but I'm sure you'll make a great companion to someone in jail.

From the Hartford Courant

Former state Sen. Ernest Newton, once one of Connecticut's top minority leaders, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison and three years probation for accepting a $5,000 bribe and other charges.

Before U.S. District Judge Alan Nevas sentenced Newton, the Bridgeport Democrat apologized to his family and community.

Newton, known for his flamboyant suits and outspoken style, pleaded guilty in September to bribery, tax evasion and mail fraud. He resigned his Senate seat a day before his plea.

Supporters packed a courtroom in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport for the sentencing hearing, to which Newton wore a conservative brown suit.

"I apologize to this court, to the federal government, to my family, to my community and to members of the legislature," Newton said. "Not only have I let you down but I've let myself down."

Nevas asked Newton if he stood by past statements that prosecutors targeted him because of his race. Newton is black.

"This is not about black and white," Newton replied. "It's about wrong and right, and I was wrong."

Newton's attorney, Salvatore DePiano, asked Nevas to sentence Newton to community service and home confinement. Federal prosecutors urged a longer sentence.

"We're talking about a long, pervasive, extensive pattern of corrupt conduct," said prosecutor James Finnerty. "He sold his office. It was Newton Inc., open for business 24-7."

Oh, how sweet. When Newton's ass is on the line (no pun intended) he finally says that he's sorry. Well sorry Ernest, I'm not buying it.

This individual had all the time in the world to fess up to his crimes so don't feel sorry for him. Not only did he not express regret during the last year, he played the race card with his "Moses of my people" speech which was not only outrageous, but disgraceful and offensive to many people of color (myself included). Don't feel sorry for him because he didn't give a damn about you and the people he represented when he was raking in the cash and allegedly chit-chatting with the mob.

If you need to see how out of touch this man is, read his quote about the FBI who caught Newton on a wiretap trying to convince friend Warren Godbolt to lie in his testimony about their relationship.

In seeking a lighter sentence, Newton cited 19 letters from political colleagues, friends and relatives attesting to Newton's good character, his struggle against drug addiction and his work on behalf of his constituents.

Newton also has rejected accusations that an FBI wiretap recorded him trying to obstruct justice.

Warren Godbolt pleaded guilty to paying Newton the $5,000 bribe in exchange for help from Newton to obtain a $100,000 grant to a job training facility in Bridgeport Godbolt ran. Godbolt is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

Nevas said Thursday that Newton clearly obstructed justice by instructing Godbolt to lie to the FBI.

Good riddance.

Rememeber that little thing the President said yesterday about oil...

well, that was all bullshit.

WASHINGTON - One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally.

Oh, how the lies catch up to you.

See Lieberman jump for joy

Okay, I had a chance to go back and take a look at the Lieberman footage from last night and I have to revise my earlier statement.

It seems like a very small handful of moderate Democrats stood up along with Lieberman when Bush made his "we're winning the Iraq war" comment and I now understand how I missed it.

You see, what I saw before I spilled all of my food on myself was Joe Lieberman (acting like some rock star groupie) jumping out of his seat in applause to Bush's rhetoric. If you look at the image, you'll see that Joe jumped up faster than ANY OTHER PERSON IN THE AUDIENCE including all of the Republicans.

Other Democrats (who took their time reacting to the President's comment) such as Harold Ford stood up next to Lieberman later (Ford is running for Senate in Tennessee and is behind in polls to a Republican so he can't afford to look too liberal).

The clip is still great because to it illustrates just how out of touch Lieberman is and why he's more popular among Republicans than Democrats in this state.

I'll get the video clip up later.

UPDATE (8:24): You want it, you got it. Watch as Bush spins his Iraq message and Lieberman jumps out of his seat faster than anyone else in the place including all of the Republicans.

Priceless. Thanks for the memories Joe!

UPDATE 2: If you reached this site from Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars, or Atrios, then welcome to CONNECTICUTBlog and I hope you come back often. If you watched the clip and want an alternative to Joe, take a moment and check out my video clips of Ned Lamont and see what he has to say about Lieberman (make sure you check out the clip of Democratic Town Committee member Michael Fuchs of Fairfield as he describes to the audience an encounter he had with Lieberman which, lets just say, left an impression on him).

If you like what you see from Lamont, then go to his site and sign up.

The best blog editor program just got better

Oh, I'm happy they finally upgraded this program and I can now use it full time on my Mac for all my furture posts.

For anyone who is a blogger, may I recommend that you give Mars Edit a try. It's a nice little blog editor which works with all the major blog websites (Moveable Type, Blogger, etc) and has a great spellchecker (something I definitely need). For those who have multiple blogs, Mars Edit can be set up to manage multiple blogs which comes in very handy when you're going back in forth between your sites.

It has a 30-day free trial so give it a test run. You'll love it!

Did anyone see Lieberman jump for joy during Bush's SOTU

Oh man! This is rich!

I think the only channel that caught the image of Lieberman was C-Span so if you weren't watching that channel (and you're an idiot if you weren't...how dare anyone watch cable news), then you missed out on yet another classic Lieberman moment.

Watching Joe Lieberman during the State of the Union is like the gift that keeps on giving.

There was good ol' "say it ain't so" Joe Lieberman jumping (no LEAPING) for joy after Bush gives his "stay the course in Iraq" speech while EVERY Democrat around him was sitting down motionless. If there is a perfect image of how out-of-touch Lieberman is with the Democratic party, THIS WAS IT! I laugh so hard that I spilled the chinese food I was eating all over myself. The guys at C-Span must of knew that this wasn't the best image of Lieberman because they tried to go to another camera but it was too late, the damage was done.

It's better than the Bush kiss and I have it all on my Tivo (happy, happy, joy, joy)! I'll transfer the video to my computer and post the file later, it's just too late now and I'm exhausted after hearing Bush's new (or should I say recycled) line of B.S.

Believe me, if you missed the Lieberman moment, you missed out on yet another priceless "dump Joe" moment! In fact, I think I have the perfect footage for a dump-Joe internet commercial.

As Drudge would say...developing.